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To do two things at once is to do neither.
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“To do two things at once is to do neither.”

Publilius Syrus

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Source
The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus
Date
1856 translation
English wording
Darius Lyman — Translator · from Latin
Meaning

Meaning of “To do two things at once is to…”

Divided attention can reduce the quality of both tasks, making concentration a practical condition for completing work well.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, maxim 7, in Darius Lyman’s 1856 English rendering; maxim order can vary across editions.

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Themes

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BusinessCalmDiscipline Quotes About Habits, Practice & ConsistencyEffortHard WorkInspirational Quotes About Hope, Courage & PossibilityMotivational Quotes for Action, Effort & PersistencePatiencePeaceProductivityResponsibilitySelf-Control Quotes About Restraint & JudgmentShortSimplicitySuccessFocusWork Ethic
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Do your work quietly.
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“Do your work quietly.”

Booker T. Washington · Character Building · 1902
Meaning & context

Useful work does not need constant display; quiet concentration can keep attention on the quality of the task rather than recognition for performing it.

Source details

Character Building, “Some Great Little Things,” Project Gutenberg #60484. Washington places this instruction among small daily habits of order, quiet, cleanliness, reading and reflection that he treats as important parts of character formation.

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I would concentrate upon the manufacture of iron and steel and be master in that.
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“I would concentrate upon the manufacture of iron and steel and be master in that.”

Andrew Carnegie · Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie · 1920
Meaning & context

Focused specialization can create depth of knowledge and execution by directing limited attention toward mastering one field instead of scattering effort across many ventures.

Source details

Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie; Carnegie describes his decision to concentrate his business attention on iron and steel.

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My race will succeed in proportion as it learns to do a common thing in an uncommon manner.
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“My race will succeed in proportion as it learns to do a common thing in an uncommon manner.”

Booker T. Washington · Up from Slavery · 1901
Meaning & context

Distinctive success can come from doing ordinary work unusually well, emphasizing thoroughness and indispensable usefulness rather than status.

Source details

Up from Slavery, Chapter XVI, “Europe,” Project Gutenberg #2376. While discussing Henry O. Tanner and recognition for excellent work, Washington restates his Tuskegee principle that advancement depends on doing useful work so thoroughly that its value becomes difficult to ignore.

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The master-word is Work
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“The master-word is Work”

William Osler · The Master-Word in Medicine · 1903
Meaning & context

Osler makes sustained work the organizing principle of his address to medical students, emphasizing disciplined practice over brilliance without application.

Source details

The Master-Word in Medicine, address delivered October 1, 1903 at the opening of the new buildings of the University of Toronto Medical Faculty; reviewed against the represented 1903 John Murphy pamphlet, Internet Archive identifier b28060805. ‘The master-word is Work’ is Osler’s organizing refrain and is followed by his appeal to write the word on the heart and forehead. This remains historical professional rhetoric rather than an endorsement of unsafe working hours or workaholism.

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